50 years of Design Village: rain or shine

Five decades after its opening weekend in 1975, Cal Poly’s Design Village remains a yearly staple for architecture students. This year’s theme, Nexus, challenged students to find connections among people, ideas and places. 

Dozens of groups, from Cal Poly and community colleges like Orange Coast College and Santa Monica College, dragged hand-built shelters a mile up Poly Canyon and camped overnight in them as rain pounded down. 

During the long weekend, judges evaluated the structures’ construction quality, creativity and livability. Hannah Huntley is the co-president for the Design Village Board. 

“It’s fully student-run,” Huntley said. “We design it, build it, carry it out there, and then live in it. It’s a little chaotic, but it’s also kind of magical.”

Teams spent weeks collecting materials before trucking everything up to the canyon. On site, construction crews worked around the clock, pitting theory against gravity with weather and sleep constraints.

Rain on Saturday turned trails into muddy ditches and provided an unplanned waterproofing test for all structures. For many, the storm was just part of the learning curve and not a hindrance.

Santa Monica College’s Team ‘Phage’ claimed best overall with a modular pavilion inspired by Platonic solids. 

“This is the second year SMC has been here, second time we brought home a trophy, so hopefully just continue to pass on,” team member Kyle Daou said.

Phage’s design opened during the day for communal space and closed at night for privacy, embodying the Nexus theme. Team member Rico Santana was grateful to Cal Poly for hosting. 

“We want to thank the architecture program at Cal Poly because without you guys, we wouldn’t be able to come and compete,” Santana said.

Orange Coast College’s group ‘Kumogami’ won best construction with a shelter that “folds up into a square and then opens up into this giant arachnid structure,” team member Micah Bramwell said. Hinges and tension ropes held the shape in place, and rain or shine, the team got through it together.

Bramwell referred to the experience as a capstone moment that included blood, sweat and surprise lessons. 

“I’m actually happier that we completed it with these… I loved this project with these people,” Bramwell said.

Trophies in hand and mud-caked boots, participants are already anticipating next year.